Personality and Social Psychology Lecture Notes PDF

Personality and Social Psychology Lecture 2: Introduction to Personality About me… Professor Luke Smillie PhD, 2005, University of Queensland University of London, 2005-2011 The University of Melbourne, since 2011 My lab – the Personality Processes Lab How do w...

Personality and Social Psychology Lecture 2: Introduction to Personality About me… Professor Luke Smillie PhD, 2005, University of Queensland University of London, 2005-2011 The University of Melbourne, since 2011 My lab – the Personality Processes Lab How do we differ from one another, psychologically? Why do we differ? How do these differences shape our lives? Overview of my lectures Introduction to personality (now) What is personality? History and measurement Correlation and regression (week 3) Analysing data in personality and social psychology Personality: Development and change (week 4) Is our personality stable across the lifespan? Can we choose to change? Personality and consequential outcomes (week 5) The predictive power of personality Achievement, health, quality of life, social indicators Persons and situations (week 6) The ‘person-situation debate’ Recommended Readings Articles/chapters posted on LMS… Strongly recommended that you read all readings. Exam questions may be based on readings Textbook: Haslam, N. & Smillie, L. (2022). An introduction to Personality, Individual Differences and Intelligence. Sage. Useful for background details and to clarify/expand upon lecture content. Perhaps most useful for breadth students Electronic copies are available via the library Overview for Today Conceptualising and defining personality Personality traits and the Big Five Other ways of describing personality (beyond traits)  Lynn… “She talked loudly and fast; she held people’s attention when she described her adventures; she effectively controlled the conversation in the large group.” McAdams, 1995 What is personality? Regularities in affect, behaviour, and cognition (DeYoung & Gray, 2009) A person’s typical mode of response (Pervin, 1999) Our identity and our reputation (Hogan, 2008) “(a) an individual’s unique variation on the general evolutionary design for human nature, expressed as a developing pattern of (b) dispositional traits, (c) characteristic adaptations, and (d) self-defining life narratives, complexly and differentially situated (e) in culture and social context.’’ (McAdams & Pals, What is personality? Level 3: Life Narratives - the story we have constructed about who we are - highly/completely individualised - rich account of the person Level 2: Characteristic Adaptations - concerns an individual’s particular life circumstances - highly contextualised Level 1: Dispositional Traits - broad descriptions of stable patterns of affect, behaviour, and cognition - relatively decontextualised - initial sketch of the person (DeYoung, 2015; McAdams & Pals, 200 Dispositional traits Definition: Personality traits are probabilistic descriptions of regularities in affect, behaviour, and cognition … e.g., aggressive, hot-tempered, easy to anger… …arising in response to very broad classes of stimuli and situations (i.e., “relatively decontextualised”) e.g., provocation, frustration, threat/danger… (DeYoung, 2015; McAdams & Pals, 200 Dispositional traits Moving from conceptual definitions to operational definitions: Conceptual definition: The abstract idea or construct e.g., happiness, athletic ability, gender equality Operational definition: Concrete empirical indicators, data, or measures of the target concept/construct e.g., rating on a ‘satisfaction with life’ scale e.g., running speed/time e.g., gender pay gap, gender representation (%) in desired occupations  Dispositional traits (Very) early trait catalogues: The Characters of Theophrastus (c. 371 – c. 287 BC) The flatterer The reckless man The chatty man The gossip The surly man The distrustful man The mean man etc…  Dispositional traits “Chattiness, if one should wish to define it, would seem to be an incontinence of talk. The Chatty Man is one who will say to those whom he meets, if they speak a word to him, that they are quite wrong, and that he knows all about it, and that, if they listen to him, they will learn; then, while one is answering him, he will put in, ‘Do you tell me so? — don’t forget what you are going to say’; or ‘Thanks for reminding me’; or ‘How much one gets from a little talk, to be sure!’ … so that his victim has not even breathing-time.” Dispositional traits (Somewhat) early trait catalogues: Allport and Odbert (1936): The ‘Lexical Hypothesis’: The most crucial features of personality will, over human history, be coded in language Collected an exhaustive list of about 18,000 lexical terms that describe what people are like (e.g., sociable, aggressive, patient, orderly…) Perhaps useful for rating personality? Problem: Very unwieldy, more of a  Restraine Achievement striving Friendly Empathic d Dutiful Quick Steady Sympathetic Tranquil Tolerant Purposeful Creative Impulsive War Lively Understanding Efficient Thoughtful Reckless m Gregarious Trusting Self-disciplined Clever Stable Outgoing Altruistic CompassionateCompetent Deep Calm Relaxed Enthusiastic Tender-minded OrganisedIngenious Imperturbable Sociable Kind Hard-working Angry Volatile Leadership Introspecti Assertive Cooperative Deliberative Moderate Bold Artistic Cool-headed Nurturance Orderly Provocative Pleasant Neat Imaginative Happy Anxious Energetic PerfectionisticReflective Vulnerable Compliant Talkative Modest Moral Fantasy-prone Tough-minded Polite Liberal Depressive Excitement-seeking Cautious Curious Rational Self-conscious Pretentious Straightforward Free-spirited The Structure of Traits What is the number and nature of basic trait “domains” required to describe personality trait structure? How is space structured? How is a deck of cards structured? The Structure of Traits Factor Analysis: Talkativ Outgoin A statistical method that e g reduces many correlated Talkative 1 variables to much fewer Outgoing.70 1 composite variables or Sociable.65.75 ‘factors’… = “Extraverted?” Developed by Spearman and Thurstone to explore the structure of mental abilities Cattell (1943): reduced Allport and Odbert’s list through many and varied techniques, including factor analysis Eventual result was a 16-factor solution… Cattell’s Method: 18,000 descriptors Sorted into 160 clusters of synonyms/antonyms Discarding near-identical descriptors Final list of 171 descriptors 100 participants rate 1-2 friends on the 171 descriptors Factor Analysis 16 Personality Factors  Cattell’s 16 trait factors/dimensions 1. Warmth (kind, sociable vs impersonal, detached) 2. Reasoning (abstract thinker vs concrete thinker) 3. Emotional Stability (calm, non-reactive vs moody, reactive) 4. Dominance (forceful, bossy vs deferential, submissive) 5. Liveliness (animated, energetic vs restrained, cautious) 6. Rule-Consciousness (confirming vs rebellious) 7. Social Boldness (venturesome, uninhibited vs shy, timid) 8. Sensitivity (refined, aesthetic vs objective, down-to-earth) 9. Vigilance (skeptical, critical vs trusting, gullible) 10. Abstractedness (creative, imaginative vs grounded, practical) 11. Privateness (discrete, political vs forthright, unpretentious) 12. Apprehension (guilty, worried vs self-assured, confident) 13. Openness to change (liberal, flexible vs conservative) 14. Self-Reliance (individualistic vs dependent, collectivistic) 15. Perfectionism (self-disciplined, compulsive vs lax, flexible) 16. Tension (highly strung vs tranquil, easy-going) Toward a taxonomy If personality was a deck of cards… Allport & Odbert: “there is a 2 of clubs, a 3 of clubs…” Cattell: “there are clubs, spades, hearts and diamonds, which vary in number…” We are now approaching a personality system or taxonomy for describing the structure of personality Organising the universe of trait descriptors  Restraine Achievement striving Friendly Empathic d Dutiful Quick Steady Sympathetic Tranquil Tolerant Purposeful Creative Impulsive War Lively Understanding Efficient Thoughtful Reckless m Gregarious Trusting Self-disciplined Clever Stable Outgoing Altruistic CompassionateCompetent Deep Calm Relaxed Enthusiastic Tender-minded OrganisedIngenious Imperturbable Sociable Kind Hard-working Angry Volatile Leadership Introspecti Assertive Cooperative Deliberative Moderate Bold Artistic Cool-headed Nurturance Orderly Provocative Pleasant Neat Imaginative Happy Anxious Energetic PerfectionisticReflective Vulnerable Compliant Talkative Modest Moral Fantasy-prone Tough-minded Polite Liberal Depressive Excitement-seeking Cautious Curious Rational Self-conscious Pretentious Straightforward Free-spirited  Restraine Achievement striving Friendly Empathic d Dutiful Quick Steady Sympathetic Tranquil Tolerant Purposeful Creative Impulsive War Lively Understanding Efficient Thoughtful Reckless m Gregarious Trusting Self-disciplined Clever Stable Outgoing Altruistic CompassionateCompetent Deep Calm Relaxed Enthusiastic Tender-minded OrganisedIngenious Imperturbable Sociable Kind Hard-working Angry Volatile Leadership Introspecti Assertive Cooperative Deliberative Moderate Bold Artistic Cool-headed Nurturance Orderly Provocative Pleasant Neat Imaginative Happy Anxious Energetic PerfectionisticReflective Vulnerable Compliant Talkative Modest Moral Fantasy-prone Tough-minded Polite Liberal Depressive Excitement-seeking Cautious Curious Rational Self-conscious Pretentious Straightforward Free-spirited  Lynn… -Dominance? -Liveliness? -Social Boldness? “She talked loudly and fast; she held people’s attention when she described her adventures; she effectively controlled the conversation in the large group.” McAdams, 1995 Problems with Cattell’s 16 traits: 1. Subjectivity: Different people reach a different reduced set of Allport & Odbert’s descriptors 2. (Poor) Replicability / Reproducibility: Using Cattell’s 171 personality descriptors, many people failed to obtain his same 16 factors 3. Redundancy: Correlations among many of the 16 factors were very high, suggesting they might not be distinct Toward a consensus on structure Subsequent research in the 1950s-80s.. Most replicable factor structures suggested 3-6 traits Particular factors seemed to reliably emerge Goldberg and colleagues argued for a “Big Five” model Parallel to this ‘lexical tradition’ was the ‘questionnaire tradition’… Began with analysis of clinical questionnaires and symptom checklists (1940s-1960s) Converged on 2-5 factors Costa and McCrae argued for a “Five Factor” model  The Big Five (or Five Factor Model) Some alternative models Big Five Five Factor Sample Tellegen Hogan Model Model lexical terms Extraversio Extraversio Enthusiastic, Positive Sociability outgoing, Emotion n n talkative (Agency) Agreeablen Agreeablen Warm, friendly, Positive Likability kind, soft- Emotion ess ess hearted (Affiliation) Consientiou Consientiou Hard working, Constraint / Prudence organized, s-ness s-ness disciplined Self Control Neuroticism Neuroticism Tense, volatile, Negative Adjustment moody, anxious Emotionality Intellect Openness Curious, creative, Absorption Intellectance Digman, 1990; Goldberg, interested in to 1995; Costa & McCrae, 1992  Hierarchical Structure of Traits ‘Meta-traits’ (very broad)  Parsimony----------------Completeness   Fidelity-------------------------Bandwidth Stability Plasticity ‘Domains’ Extraversion Agreeableness Conscientiousness Neuroticism Openness/ Intellec ‘Aspects’ e.g., assertiveness, enthusiasm ‘Facets’ e.g., energy levels, positive emotions, talkativeness ‘Nuances’ (very narrow) e.g., liking parties  Hierarchical Structure of Traits.g., the Big Five Inventory V.2— trait domains and facets: Extraversion Agreeableness Conscientiousness Negative Emotionality Open- Sociability Compassion Mindedness Anxiety Organisation Intellectual curiosity Assertiveness Respectfulnes Productivenes Depression Aesthetic sensitivity Activity Level s s Emotional Creative imagination Trust Responsibility Volatility g., the Big Five Aspects Scales — trait domains and aspec Extraversion Agreeableness Conscientiousness Neuroticism Openness/ Intellec Assertiveness Compassion Orderliness Withdrawal Openness Enthusiasm Politeness Industriousnes Volatility Intellect s eYoung et al., 2007; Soto & John, 2017  Achievement Impulse control Friendline Empathy striving Dutifulness Introspection ss Tranquillit Poise Sympathy Purposefulness y Quickness Understanding ImpulsivenessWarmth Efficiency Creativity Self-disclosureTrust Self-discipline Stability Gregariousne Altruism Intellect ss TendernessCompetenceIdeas Calmness Positive emotionality Organisation Depth Imperturbability Sociability Tender- Angry hostility Leadership Ingenuity mindedness Moderation Assertiveness Cooperation DeliberationAesthetic Cool- NurturanceOrderliness Provocativenes headedness Imagination Happiness Anxietys Pleasantness Activity Vulnerability Compliance Perfectionism Reflection Talkativeness Modesty Morality Fantasy Toughness Values Depression Excitement- Cautiousness Feelings seeking Rationality Self- Straightforwardne Actions  Achievement Impulse control Friendline Empathy striving Dutifulness Introspection ss Tranquillit Poise Sympathy Purposefulness y Quickness Understanding ImpulsivenessWarmth Efficiency Creativity Self-disclosureTrust Self-discipline Stability Gregariousne Altruism Intellect ss TendernessCompetenceIdeas Calmness Positive emotionality Organisation Depth Imperturbability Sociability Tender- Angry hostility Leadership Ingenuity mindedness Moderation Assertiveness Cooperation DeliberationAesthetic Cool- NurturanceOrderliness Provocativenes headedness Imagination Happiness Anxietys Pleasantness Activity Vulnerability Compliance Perfectionism Reflection Talkativeness Modesty Morality Fantasy Toughness Values Depression Excitement- Cautiousness Feelings seeking Rationality Self- Straightforwardne Actions  Achievement Impulse control Friendline Empathy striving Dutifulness Introspection ss Tranquillit Poise Sympathy Industriousn Purposefulness y Quickness Understandingess ImpulsivenessWarmth Efficiency Enthusia Self-disclosureTrust Self-discipline Creativity sm Altruism Stability Gregariousne Intellect Intellect Volatility ss Compassio TendernessCompetenceIdeas Calmness Positive n Depth emotionality Imperturbability Sociability Organisation Tender- Angry hostility Leadership Ingenuity mindedness Moderation Assertiveness Cooperation DeliberationAesthetic Cool- Assertiven Provocativenes NurturanceOrderliness headedness s ess Orderliness Imagination Happiness Anxiety Pleasantness Withdraw Activity Vulnerability Compliance Perfectionism Politeness Openness Reflection al Talkativeness Toughness Modesty Morality Fantasy Values Depression Excitement- Cautiousness Feelings seeking Rationality Self- Straightforwardne Actions  Achievement Impulse control Friendline Empathy striving Dutifulness Introspection ss Tranquillit y Poise Sympathy Conscientiousne Purposefulness Quickness Understanding ImpulsivenessWarmth ss Efficiency Creativity Self-disclosureTrust Self-discipline Stability Gregariousne Altruism Intellect ss TendernessCompetenceIdeas Calmness Positive emotionality Agreeablenes Organisation Depth Neuroticis Imperturbability Sociability Tender- Angry hostility s Leadership Ingenuity m Moderation mindedness Assertiveness Cooperation DeliberationAesthetic Cool- NurturanceOrderliness Provocativenes headedness Happiness Anxietys Extraversion Activity Pleasantness Opennes Imagination Compliance Perfectionism Reflection Vulnerability Talkativeness Modesty Morality s/ Fantasy Toughness Depression Excitement- Cautiousness Intellect Values Feelings seeking Rationality Self- Straightforwardne Actions The Big Five Traits: Probabilistic descriptions of… Affect Extraversion… Feelings of positive affect and energy Neuroticism … Feelings of worry and negative mood Openness/Intellect … Feelings of interest, awe, and curiosity The Big Five Traits: Probabilistic descriptions of… Behaviour Extraversion… Bold, assertive, talkative (vs. shy, aloof, quiet) Agreeableness describes being… Cooperative, helpful, trusting (vs. hard-hearted, cynical, mistrusting) Conscientiousness describes being… Industrious, hard working, organised (vs. impulsive, messy, lazy) The Big Five Traits: Probabilistic descriptions of… Cognition Conscientiousness… Sustained attention, attention to detail Neuroticism… Negative bias, tendency to ruminate Openness/Intellect Creativity, curiosity, aesthetic engagement  Lynn… High in Extraversion, particularly the assertiveness aspect/facet? “She talked loudly and fast; she held people’s attention when she described her adventures; she effectively controlled the conversation in the large group.” McAdams, 1995  Measuring Traits Saucier, 1994 The scope and limits of traits Can you get a ‘complete picture’ of someone's personality from their traits? Is there more to personality? McAdams (1995): Traits provide an initial ‘sketch’ of a person— ‘the psychology of the stranger’ Traits are fairly generic descriptors, and relatively decontextualised But much of our individual personalities are highly contextualised… What else is personality? Level 2: Characteristic Adaptations - concerns an individual’s particular life circumstances - highly contextualised - e.g., specific goals, social roles, ‘stage of life’ tasks Level 1: Dispositional Traits - broad descriptions of stable patterns of affect, behaviour, and cognition - relatively decontextualised - e.g., shy, bold, warm, aloof, disciplined, impulsive, etc (DeYoung, 2015; McAdams & Pals, 200 Characteristic Adaptations One conceptualization… Motivational, social-cognitive, and developmental adaptations, contextualized with respect to time, place, and/or social role (McAdams & Pals, 2006) Sometimes called “Personal Concerns” Traits what you are ‘like’ Characteristic Adaptations  what you are ‘working on’ or engaged with in your particular… Time – Stages of life e.g., vocational interests (e.g., investigative? practical?) Place – Environmental niches e.g., study strategies (e.g., surface vs depth?), achievement motivation Role – Social niches e.g., parenting style (e.g., permissive? strict?), organisational leadership Characteristic Adaptations More examples… motives (e.g., to help people) goals (e.g., to be a psychologist) habits (e.g., exercise and eating behaviour) beliefs (e.g., religious or spiritual convictions) values (e.g., equality, fairness) virtues (e.g., bravery, loyalty) schemas (e.g., world-views, prejudices, etc) self-images (e.g., social identity – musician, Australian, etc) developmental tasks (e.g., forming friendships, preparing for a career) McAdams & Pals, 2006 Characteristic Adaptations Another conceptualization… Relatively stable goals, interpretations, and strategies, specified in relation to an individual’s particular life circumstances (DeYoung, 2015) Goals – desired future states e.g., vocational interests, life ambitions Interpretations – appraised current states e.g., job satisfaction, identity Strategies – plans and actions to move between states e.g., study routines, degree choice Characteristic Adaptations Some characteristic adaptations (vs. traits): Being adventurous and venturesome Wanting to become a competition mountain climber (goal) Being honest Viewing honesty as one’s greatest virtue (interpretation) Being shy Having routines to minimise socializing (strategy) DeYoung, 2015  Characteristic Adaptations a Gillard, interviewed by Harvard Business Review: As prime minister, how did you get things done? “The government machine is so big that I used to say to myself every morning, “Either I can run it, or it will run me.” … So you need to be ruthlessly clear about that agenda and force the machinery to support and prioritize it.” What kind of day-to-day manager are you? “…I have a very loyal staff, and I always wanted them to feel bonded to the project… I’m a very methodical person,  Lynn… Glimpses of goals, interpretations, and strategies? “She enjoys her work as a free-lance writer; she claimed to be a pacifist and to have compassion for the poor; she ‘wished she could believe in something’; she expressed a strong interest in ‘new age’ psychology…” McAdams, 1995 What else is personality? Level 3: Life Narratives - the story we have constructed about who we are - highly/completely individualised Level 2: Characteristic Adaptations - concerns an individual’s particular life circumstances - highly contextualised - e.g., specific goals, social roles, ‘stage of life’ tasks Level 1: Dispositional Traits - broad descriptions of stable patterns of affect, behaviour, and cognition - relatively decontextualised - e.g., shy, bold, warm, aloof, disciplined, impulsive, etc (DeYoung, 2015; McAdams & Pals, 200  Life Narratives People think about who they are in terms of a ‘story’ Narrative Identity: The internal, dynamic life story that an individual constructs to make sense of his or her life Stories provide our lives with an overarching unity and purpose Who am I? Why am I the way I am? Where am I going? As seen in personology, psychotherapy, (auto)biography, biopics, and fiction McAdams, 1995  Life Narratives Narrative Identity is generally described in two ways: 1. Themes Defining pre-occupations and concerns Sense-making (lessons, insights) What the story is ‘about’; the ‘moral’ of the story. 2. Structure / form How the details are organised and put together The coherence of the story, how detailed aspects of the story are, how they unfold Adler et al., 2016, 2020; McAdams, 1993; McAdams et al., 2001  Life Narratives Some prominent themes: Agency (autonomy and self-direction) and communion (interpersonal connection) ‘Redemption sequences’ and ‘contamination sequences’ Affective tone (optimistic, pessimistic, etc.) – aka narrative tone Some prominent aspects of structure/form: Slow and linear, the ‘growth story’ Turbulent, changing, or with many highs and lows Fragmented, uncertain, problems unresolved, questions unanswered McAdams, 1993; McAdams et al.,  Life Narratives Studying life narratives: Interview focussing on: 8 key events in your life (e.g., a high point, a low point, an important adolescent memory) Significant people (characters in the story) Stresses and problems (current, ongoing) Personal ideology (religious beliefs and political views) Life theme (what is your life about?) The future script (where is your life going?) McAdams, 1993 “Few of us will forget Cathy Freeman's victorious 400-metre run at the Sydney Olympic Games in 2000…. With characteristic honesty she talks about growing up black in a white world, about her complicated personal relationships, about how it feels to have the expectations of an entire nation resting on her shoulders, about the price of fame, and about the real reasons for her heart-wrenching decision to retire. Cathy tells us what it's like to be Cathy Freeman. Her Life Narratives Some studies of life narratives: 1. Recipients of awards for bravery or caring Life narratives had salient themes of both agency and communion Life’s challenges described as a redemption sequence 2. Highly generative adults (people who actively promote the wellbeing and growth of future generations) Five salient themes: Early advantage in life Sensitivity to others’ suffering Development of a moral framework Redemption sequences Prosocial goal setting McAdams & Guo, 2015; Walker & Frime  Lynn… What is Lynn’s story about? “My wife and I could say little of substance about how Lynn creates identity in her life. We left the party without but a few promising hints as to what her story might be about.” McAdams, 1995  Summary: Three levels of personality description: Level Content Strengths Limitations Life Narratives Personal Story, Highest resolution Idiographic, no unity and purpose description of a predictive value of self person Characteristic Goals, Captures Unclear scope and interpretations, individual structure Adaptations strategies circumstances (aka personal concerns) (e.g., time, role and place) Dispositional Traits Broad, coherent Universal Lowest resolution patterns of structure, high description of a behaviour and predictive value person experience Summary: Three levels of personality description: Dan McAdams https://www.youtube.com/watch? Reading for this week On LMS: McAdams & Pals (1995) – a broad overview of personality in terms of traits, characteristic adaptations, life narratives – and their influences. Features “Lynn”. Optional extras: Haslam & Smillie. (2022) Chapters 1, 2, 9 & 11